A Much-Needed Conclusion
by beatleslover123
Summary: An ending to the story of the Sheriff of Mayberry that should be more satisfying to you than how the show ended it. It's quite long, so if you have an hour to kill, come on in, put your feet up and set a spell. #Andy Griffith #Griffith
1. Chapter 1: A Morning in Mayberry

**I neither own Andy Griffith nor any of its components. I do not intend to make or accept any money for my creations, it is purely made for public and personal enjoyment.**

Andy Taylor woke up with a chill. It was six-thirty a.m., Tuesday, October 24th, 1969. He shuffled back the warm covers which he was loath to remove, as the house was quite cool. He wondered if Aunt Bee had gotten up yet, as she usually wakes up even earlier than him to get breakfast ready and the house to a suitable temperature.  
Andy sat up, goose-pimply and tinged with a splash of morning color on his face. He stretched out his long limbs, breathed in a huge sigh, and finally got the will to rise to his feet.

Coming down the stairs in his navy-blue checkered bathrobe, Andy saw Aunt Bee in her own little, pink bathrobe, washing some leftover dishes from last night's custard, and noticed she had tidied the rest of the house since. He grinned to see the same adorable sight of his aunt that he had seen nearly every morning for the past 11 years.

"Woman is almost 64 years old and she still works more dedicated than an ox," Andy said to himself, stretching once more and coming down the stairs. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching his Aunt circle a dainty, rose-themed plate with an old dish rag... _Swish, swish, swish..._

"Mornin', Aunt B-"

"Oh, Andy, you scared me!" Aunt Bee jumped, and turned her head for a second, and resumed to her duties.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I can see you've already been working away this mornin'. Any particular reason?"

"Why, yes, Clara and the girls are coming over for a game of bridge at noon."

"I thought Bridge night was Thursday nights?"

"Yes, it is, but Clara and Melinda are going to a pickler's convention in Mt. Pilot on Thursday, so we postponed it so that everyone could be involved."

"Oh. Well that's awful considerate of you."

"Well, I just figured..." Beatrice's voice trailed off. The woman was tired. And, quite honestly, she didn't feel like having the girls over. She really just felt like eating a hearty breakfast, switching on her favorite doctor soap, and falling asleep in the midst of the Southern autumn day. Oh, she forgot to turn the heat up for the morning-!

"Mind if I switch on the heat?" Andy said going into the living room to find the thermostat.

"No, not at all! In fact I just realized that I forgot to do that this morning," Aunt Bee sighed, "things seem to be slipping my mind a lot easier these days..."


	2. Chapter 2: Chicken-Snatcher

(I made it so that Barney never left Mayberry. I know it's not true to the plot of the later show, but it was never quite the same without him.)

"Howdy, Barn," Andy greeted his deputy as he came through the door. Andy resumed typing away on his typewriter, taking another small sip of coffee.

"Ange," Barney greeted. "You all ready to give your speech for Mayberry Days?"  
"I've been workin' on it here, yes," Andy replied between plinks of the keys, "for the Under the Stars picnic."  
"Any news or odd-jobs for me? Crooks to chase down?"  
"None as of yet," Andy smiled as he humored Barney.  
"Yyyyeah..." Barney sat and slunk low in the rolly chair beside Andy's desk, putting his feet up next to Andy's typewriter and closing his eyes. Andy looked at Barney's semi-dirty boots. He cleared his throat, hoping Barney would get the clue to remove his shoes from the desk which were an inch away from his coffee.  
"Ahem."  
Barney looked up, saw that his feet were close to Andy's drink, and moved his feet about 5 inches farther away from his cup. Andy looked at Barney, and cleared his throat again. Barney blinked his eyes open again, had a look on his face as if Andy's request was a tall one, but moved his feet a few more inches anyway. The two did this until Barney's feet were barely hanging on the corner of the desk. Andy smiled and rolled his eyes, and continued plunking away at his speech on the typewriter. Barney relaxed a little as he was about to drift off into a light nap, when his feet ka-flunked to the ground, causing Andy much amusement.  
"Andy, what in tarnation is s' funny about a man bein' forced from his sleep, on account of his friend shooin' him from his comfortable place?"  
"Well, didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to put your feet on an eating surface?" Andy said this with a sincere face but with a familiar, joking twinkle in his eye.  
"Eating surface-? Eating- you call this an-?" Just then a man came through the door.  
"Sherr'f!"  
"Well, howdy there, Mr. Rawlings, what can I do ya for?" Andy smiled at the farmer walking up to his desk.  
"Somebody has been nabbin' my chickens! On Saturday I had 42, but come Sunday mornin' I counted up again and I only had 37," the farmer hushed in godly reverence as he said the next bit, "An' on account'a it bein' the Sabbath, I didn't bother you none about it. Then yesterday I counted ag'in and I had 35, and today, I only have 29! Now I've been thinkin' on't, and I know you've heard of the Chicken-Snatcher from Raleigh, who comes and takes your chickens to perform strange exper'ments-"  
"Now, hold on, Mr. Rawlings. Before we get our feathers ruffled, let's just rule out some liklier situations. We know we have raccoons in this area-"  
"It ain't no raccoon, my chicken coops are closed tight at night-"

"Let me finish. Maybe 'tain't raccoons, but we have bobcat, and have had even a mountain lion. Now cats are smart, and they make a clean and cunnin' kill. Now, you're sure it couldn't'a been any one of those things?" The farmer sheepishly pursed his lips.

"I guess it could be."  
"Now you go and make sure your coops are completely patched up and nothing's been diggin' into 'em."  
"Yessir."  
"But come back to me if you think anything is amiss. G'day, Mr. Rawlings!"  
"Good day, Sherr'f." Andy smiled as the old farmer walked back out. He was sad he had to disappoint him, but was nevertheless happy to help in any way.  
"Y'know I've heard of that chicken-snatcher. Yep. They call 'im the Plight of Poultry," said Barney in a hushed tone, with a horrified look on his face. He had apparently perked right up and out of his chair when he heard Mr. Rawlings talk of his poor chickens.  
"Oh, Barney you don't seriously believe-?"  
"Well, Andy, you can's rule out all the possible suspects! We gotta keep alert and ready for any possible situation."

"Barney! 'The Plight of Poultry?!' Land sakes, and I thought I'd heard them all..." Andy exited the room, Barney trailing right behind him, still trying to convince him that they really, really needed to keep a look-out for this... chicken-snatcher.


	3. Chapter 3: Table for Six, Minus One

(Watch for POV changes)

"Pass me the peas, Aunt Bee?" Opie asked Aunt Bee at the table. Andy had invited Barney and Thelma Lou over for dinner. It had been since before Andy and Helen broke up two months before that they all last spent time over a meal together.

"Well, this is nice," Thelma Lou asserted. There was a bit of an awkward pause. "Everyone back together, here at the table, just having a nice meal together."  
"Well, not _everyone._" Barney said quietly. Thelma Lou thumped Barney's leg under the table and Andy glared.  
"What was that, Barney?" Aunt Bee asked worried he needed something.  
"Oh, it was nothing, Aunt Bee," Thelma Lou assured her.

"So how've you two young'uns been? Staying out of trouble, I hope?" Aunt Bee asked Barney and Thelma, with a pleasant smile.

"We've been swell," Thelma replied with gratitude.

"Well, as swell as we can be..." Barney muttered as he took a drink, "under the circumstances..."  
"'Under the circumstances?" Andy chirped curiously, somehow knowing where this was going.  
"Oh, it's nothing," Barney said, but seeing as everyone was not as curious as he expected them to be and simply carried on with their dinners, he pressed on, "It's just that... three friends can't be happy when they know one of them is lonely."  
"_Barney!_" Thelma Lou tried to hush him.  
"Oh, will you stop worryin' about my romantic life for once in your life?!"  
"I'm simply concerned for your well-being, it's my job as your friend-"  
"_Your_ job? Since when did I ever tell you it was your job to make sure I am fixed up with someone before..."

"Before what, Andy? You see, you see? You've got to act quick! You've gotta get hitched before... Well, Andy, you had Helen in the palm of your hand, if you just would have-"

"Helen and I are broken up beyond repair, and it's all my fault. There ain't no goin' back, y'hear?" There were a few seconds of even more intensely awkward silence. "Now just... drop it. An' enjoy the meal Aunt Bee worked hard to lay out in front o' you." Andy began digging into his food angrily.  
Thelma Lou nudged Barney's shoulder and motioned her head toward the kitchen. Barney looked confused, to which Thelma Lou answered with another more animated motion, which was read with the same amount of misunderstanding.  
"Oh, for heaven's sake, would you see me in the kitchen, please?" Thelma stood up and marched into the kitchen, and Barney got up.

"Gotta obey the old girl sometimes..." Barney laughed nervously.  
"BARNEY," Thelma Lou barked from the kitchen. Barney jumped.  
"If you'll excuse me," and he walked quickly to the kitchen, where he faced a less-than-impressed girlfriend.  
"Well?"  
"Well, what?"  
"How are you going to lighten the mood after that catastrophe?"  
"Thelma, the man has to find out sooner or later, I just thought I'd tell him sooner so's to keep him-"  
"That doesn't answer my question, Barney. You've just made it completely awkward for everyone. And- and it's not like you're hurrying to get married either, is it?"  
"Now, hold on just a minute! You and me are a totally different story, we're an entirely different can of worms!"

"And can you tell me exactly how so?"  
"Well-"

* * *

"Oh, Andy you should be ashamed of yourself, losing your temper at the dinner table."  
"Aunt Bee, you have to admit that Barney was bein' ridiculous!"  
"Andy, I admit that he was ridiculous... but I can just as confidently say he is the definition of ridiculous."  
"Pa, may I be excused?"  
"Yes, Opie, you may."  
"No, Opie, you may not," Aunt Bee quipped.  
"Opie ain't a part of any of this, Aunt Bee!"  
"No, he isn't, but he's got to finish his potatoes before he can be excused."

* * *

"What?"  
"You heard me? ...H-how 'bout it, Thel?"  
"I- I'm sorry, I just need to sit down for a second..." Thelma Lou sat on a small stool next to the counter.  
"Y'see, if Andy were to see us, maybe he wouldn't drag his feet so much..." Barney said quietly.  
"Well, that's hardly the reason I'd want to be asked for," Thelma Lou sighed.  
"Oh, Thelma, you know how I feel about you. It wouldn't be the only reason at all. I mean... I love you, don't I?" Thelma Lou smiled big.

* * *

"Andy, that's a horrible thing to say! Opie, go on up to your room, you've eaten quite enough," Aunt Bee said.  
"Sometimes the truth feels horrible, Aunt Bee," Andy muttered as Opie walked to the stairs. Suddenly, the kitchen door swung wide open.  
"Opie, come down off those stairs! I've got an announcement to make," Barney hollered to Opie.  
"Aww, man," Opie said, and reluctantly came back down and stood in the livingroom.  
"Th-Thelma Lou... and I... Thelma Lou and me, we... See, the thing is-" Barney stumbled.

"We're getting married!" Thelma Lou helped Barney. Immediately, Aunt Bee skyrocketed out of her chair and she and Opie ran up to the couple to congratulate them. Andy looked slightly skeptical for a second, then slapped on a half-grin and stood up to follow suit. The small group exchanged many hugs, handshakes and laughs.


	4. Chapter 4: Back at Helen's

"Married?"  
"Yes," Answered Thelma Lou to her best girlfriend, Helen Crump, over a phone conversation. "Oh, isn't it wonderful? And, of course, you'll be my maid of honor!"  
"...Yes... of course," answered Helen.  
"Well, Helen aren't you happy?"

"Yes, I'm ecsatic," said Helen earnestly.

"Oh, I just can't contain my excitement! It'll be a church wedding, of course. I think I want my colors to be rose-pink, ivory and gold... what do you think, Helen?"  
"I think it sounds marvelous-" there was a sound on the other line of a group clamoring women, and that's just exactly what it was: all of her female immediate family were out to congratulate her.

"Oh, Helen, I've got to go- my mother and my three sisters just burst through the door! I'm sorry, I've got to go!"  
"It's fine, go, have fun!" Helen said, happy for her friend. Thelma Lou giggled.  
"Thanks," and with that, Thelma hung up. Helen hung up, too.

_Just think, Helen... they're finally getting married. _Helen sighed. _And you're just sitting here as single as ever. _She then though hopelessly of Andy. She couldn't help but miss him, even though he said some pretty hurtful things.  
_But how can you stay mad at him? He's not a hurtful person. You never gave him a chance after the fight._  
She got up and poured herself a glass of lemonade.


	5. Chapter 5: Stranger in Town

And like that, it was Saturday. Andy was strumming his guitar on his front porch, having just got off the phone with Mr. Rawlings, who happily reported that it was 'just a bobcat afterall,' so Andy 'didn't need to keep lookin' for the chicken-snatcher.' Opie and Aunt Bee were just getting done packing for a trip out to Aunt Bee's sister's house. Aunt Bee came out carrying her knapsack, and Opie trailed behind her. Andy looked up to see them ready, set down his guitar and stood up.  
"You all ready to go?"  
"Sure are, pa," Opie cheerfully piped.

"Yes, I think we are... Oh, Andy are you sure you don't want to come? I know they'd be glad to have you."  
"I know they would... I just kind of need to stay here and... mull things over." Aunt Bee eyed Andy sympathetically, as Barney's blunt intervention the day before sort of brought Andy down.  
"Well, alright, if you think that's what's best, then I think we're ready to go to the train station."  
"Alrighty! Let's load up," Andy grinned, and assisted his son and Aunt to the squad car.

A few hours passed; it was about 7 p.m. Andy got home from the train station. He went inside, grabbed his guitar and came back out on the porch. He played The Fox, Slick-Bottomed River, Old Man Tucker... _huh, Old Man Tucker was one of Helen's favorites._ Before Andy knew it, he wasn't strumming his guitar anymore, but was off in a mental tangent about Helen. _I was too hard on her. How could I let my mouth run? The one time I lose my patience, I lose my girl, too..._ Andy sighed.  
He suddenly realized he had never gotten the mail that day. He set down his guitar again and went out to the mail box.  
He opened and shut the metal container and began to flit through the mail, sifting through the junk and the non-junk.

"Junk... advertisement... bill... junk... junk. Well, I'll be dogged, not even one decent letter. Oh, well." Just as Andy turned to go back to the porch, a jalopy of a Volkswagen Beetle drove up. The car parked right in front of Andy, and the driver's window rolled down. An attractive woman with long, brunette hair vaguely familiar to Andy peeked her head out.  
"Well, hey there, stranger," the woman said, removing her sunglasses.  
"Ellie?"


	6. Chapter 6: New North vs Old South

"Is that really you, Ellie? After all this time?" Andy was filled with conflicting emotions: excitement, residual resentment from when she left suddenly, shock at her... different appearance, and joy to see an old friend.  
"Yes, it's really me," Ellie laughed, getting out of the car.  
"Well, it's been so long, with no word... I thought you just went away, never to return," Andy said with a smile, "Yet here you are! Elinor Walker, back from the land of no return! Come on inside!"  
"Thanks, Andy." The two walked up to the porch where Andy held open the door for Ellie.

"I can get it quite alright by myself," Ellie said, indicating the door. Andy stood for a second a little confused, then motioned for him to go in front of her.  
"Oh... okay," said Andy, a little weirded-out, but he went in anyway, Ellie holding the door for herself as she went through.

"Boy... literally nothing has changed around here," said Ellie, looking down at her little cup of tea which Andy just made for them. She had long, straight hair with blue jean cutoff shorts, round glasses and a not-very-form-fitting white halter tank-top. Her very slight Southern accent had wilted into a Northern one.  
"...Well, Aunt Bee has done her best to keep the furniture up-to-date."  
"No, that's not what I meant," chuckled Ellie, "I meant, in-town. The people. Just the same, old-fashioned, Southern dynamics. I should have known it."

"Well-"  
"I mean, the rest of the country- the world- has gone through a rollercoaster of change and innovation... but, boy, you wouldn't know anything about it if you lived here." Andy cleared his throat and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off yet again. "The men: greased-back hair," as Ellie said this, Andy looked up at his own hairdo, which was greased and combed-back. "The women: still forced to wear skirts. Everyone has their place. Well, let me tell you it doesn't work at all like that in just about 90% of the rest of the world."  
"Ellie, where were you plannin' on stayin' tonight?" Andy finally got in.

"Oh, here, of course. Unless... unless that would be sinful?" Ellie said with a sly grin on her face, waiting to entrap Andy to demonstrate another one of her many points.

"Well, it wouldn't exactly look too good to the neighbors if a single man like m'self fell asleep alone in the same house with a strange, single woman."  
"You mean... we're alone?"  
"...Yes," Andy said cautiously.

"You live by yourself now?"  
"No, but Aunt Bee and Opie went up to Aunt Nora's for the weekend."  
"I could have guessed nothing would have changed..."  
"W-well I s'spect a lot of folks 'round here just like steadiness and habit, 'ts all."  
"No, people around here just don't like the discomfort of change. You see-"  
"Ellie, I would love to hear more about this, but I am just plain tuckered out and have had a long day, not to mention I have church in the mornin', so if you don't mind..." Andy got up to the door and opened it, "Please leave." Ellie stood up rather annoyed, and marched to the door. "There's the hotel on Main Street-"  
"I know very well where the hotels are in this town, Andy. I did live here for 22 years, y'know."  
"Well that's just fine." Andy held open the door again, and Ellie began to protest. "I know you can get the door, but I insist," said Andy with somewhat of a snarky smile.  
"Well you'd better _de_sist!" smarted Ellie, who snatched Andy's hand off of the door and swung it back open for herself, marching back down to her car. Andy watched her drive away, and came away from the door with a big sigh.


	7. Chapter 7: On Talking Terms Again

"And we got... 2.4 pounds. Will that be all for you today, Ms. Crump?" said the grinning Butcher.

"Yes, that'll be quite alright, thank you," Helen assented. Just as she lifted the little sack of ground beef off the scale, Sheriff Andy Taylor came through the door, and the two bumped right into each other.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," Helen apologized.

"No, the fault was mine, miss," said Andy in return, and while brushing her off, realized who she was. "Well... h-howdy, Helen."  
"Andy." They shared a weak and awkward smile.

"F-fancy bumping into you here!" They chuckled lightly and looked away from each other temporarily. "Is that heavy?" Andy asked.

"No, it's quite—"  
"L-let me get it for you. Here, I'll walk you and your... hamburger home." Helen laughed.

"Alright, why not?"

The two walked home leisurely, Andy holding Helen's hamburger all the way. They came upon her house.  
"Well, here we are," said Andy.

"Here we are, indeed," affirmed Helen. They stood there, neither one wanting to leave. "Look, Andy-"  
"Helen-"

"Oh, you can go-"  
"You go first-" They smiled at each other.

"Helen, I'm really... I'm just sorry. I shouldn't'a come down so hard on you."  
"Andy, it was all my fault. I-"  
"It was not your fault in the least. Look, why don't we have a cup of coffee later or something?" Helen smiled at this.  
"I'd like that very much."  
"That's good." Andy watched Helen go up to her porch, and waved to her as she went through her door. Andy sighed and took to the road back home.


	8. Chapter 8: Back in 'the Saddle'

The next day, Aunt Bee and Opie had come home and Andy had gone off to work with Opie at school. Barney was in the station's bathroom shaving his face, and Andy was click-click-clicking away at the typewriter, making the procrastinated finishing touches on his speech. Then, to Andy's discomfort and dismay, Ellie walked in. This time her outfit was a bit more conservative (only a bit, mind you).

"Ell-"  
"Andy before you say anything I just want to apologize for the way I behaved on Saturday. It was just a little mind-boggling, coming back to little Mayberry, seeing all the old sights. And... it was crazy seeing you again."  
"Well, goodness, Ellie, I-"  
"I just hope you can forgive me for coming into your home in the state I was. It's been sort of rough... up North. And honestly, you were a comfort to some very weary eyes."

"Don't worry about it—"  
"You're probably wondering if I'm still into Pharmaceutical work. Well, I'm not," laughed Ellie. "I quit that long ago." Andy just stood with his mouth shut, expecting her to say something anyway. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?" Andy shrugged.  
"There's not much to say, 'cept consider yourself forgiven, I guess," smiled Andy.

Barney came humming out of the bathroom dabbing his neck and face off. He heard a young-sounding woman talking with Andy. _Maybe it's Helen, and they're working things out!_ He quick ran over to eavesdrop, finding himself looking at Andy and... not Helen. _Darn_, he thought. _Well who _is_ that, anyway? She looks like she fell out of the Ms. Homely Pageant of 1969._Barney laughed at his own joke.

"_Oh, Andy, you were always so gracious and gentle..."_ the woman said from the other room, running her hand over Andy's broad shoulders and chest. She walked smoothly into an intimate hug, which Andy didn't quite return as intimately. When Barney saw this, his eyes bulged, and he walked out from the back room, clearing his throat hopefully to make the hug last less long.

"Oh, Barn, this is Ellie."  
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Barney politely but suspiciously.

"You don't seem to understand... this is Ellie. Ellie Walker, the old drug-store owner!" Barney's eyes seemed to bulge right out of his head.

"Well, how do you do?! 'M sorry, I didn't recognize you at first!" The three laughed, and there was an awkward second.  
"I guess I'll come to the point of why I came here, besides to apologize to you," said Ellie.

"Shoot," said Andy.

"I hear Mayberry Days starts tomorrow."  
"That's right."

"And you're the keynote for the evening picnic?"

"That's also right."  
"Would you like to go with me?" Andy's heart sunk. He was planning on asking Helen later that evening. _But it would be courteous to make her feel at home again, _his annoyingly obstinate good conscience thought.

"Of course he will!" Barged in Barney.

"Barney-!" scolded Andy. Barney pulled Andy to the side.

"Don't you see, Andy?" whispered Barney, "this is your chance! Helen was a lost cause, you might be able to get Ellie back again!"  
"That is about the last intention on my mind!" Whispered Andy back.

"So it's a yes, then?" said Ellie, and Andy sighed dejectedly as he faced her.

"I guess so," said Andy, and Barney clapped him on the back.  
"Back in the saddle again, ol' buddy, huh?" Barney chuckled to Andy.


	9. Chapter 9: Mother of all Mix-Ups

(watch for changes in POV)

It was evening yet again in Mayberry. Ellie accompanied Andy, Aunt Bee and Opie for dinner (upon her request).  
"Mmmm, mmm! That was goo-ood! Another smash-hit supper by Aunt Bee," exclaimed Andy, to the minor embarrassment of Aunt Bee.

"Oh, thank-you Andy," giggled Bee.

"I can't help but agree," said Ellie politely.

"Thank you, m'dear," Bee thanked politely back.  
"Gosh, I ain't never seen a girl wear pants before!" Opie said, apparently unable to hide his astonishment any longer. Andy's face lost about 50 degrees of sunshine.

"Opie, can I tell you something?" Ellie leaned over to Opie.

"What?" Opie grinned as if in on a secret.

"It's because women are oppressed here in the South."

"What's _uh-pressed_ mean?" Opie asked.

"Hey, Ope, I think it's about time you went to bed, don't you?" Andy got up, motioning Opie to get up.

"But Pa, I haven't finished my potatoes!" Opie said.

"That's okay, we can put 'em in your lunch for school tomorrow," said Andy, pushing his son up the stairs. "Good night, Ope!"  
"'Night, pa! 'Night Aunt Bee! 'Night Ms. Walker-!" and with that Opie was shut in his room. Andy slapped on a smile and came back down the stairs.

"Speaking of bedtime," Andy said with a mock yawn, "it's pro'lly about time you went to the hotel, Ellie."

"But Andy, she only just got here before dinner? Surely we could play a game of cards or something," chimed Aunt Bee, to which Andy shot a distressed look.

"Yeah, Andy, a game of cards," Ellie said cutely (she was trying to be flirtatious). Andy's eyes bulged.  
"Wh-why don't you two ladies get a head-start on that card game, and I'll- I'll-" Andy looked around, and saw Aunt Bee's apron on the couch. "I'll do the dishes!"  
"Oh, Andy, I can do those later!" assured Bee.

"It's no trouble!" said Andy, throwing on the pink frilly apron. "I'll be done in a flash!"

Later, their fifth game of spades was winding down and Andy had finished dishes for over an hour.  
"I win again!" cried Ellie. Andy was beginning to fall asleep with his head leaning on his hand.

"Ellie Walker, you are very good at this game!" stated Aunt Bee.

"I played a lot of card games as kid," said Ellie.  
"Ah, I see. Oh look at Andy, he's fallen asleep right on his hand," Bee said.

"He's sweet," cooed Ellie. Aunt Bee saw Ellie admiring him, so she excused herself to do the dishes so that they could have some time to themselves. Andy woke up.

"Wha-what?" he bumbled, shaking himself out of sleep.

"You were sleeping, Andy," said Ellie.

"So I was." There was a bit of a pause.

"Y'know what Andy?" Ellie said affectionately.

"What?"  
"You're still a very attractive man." Andy's stomach sank, and his eyes bulged.  
"Th-thanks..."  
"And... I was crazy to have ever left you."  
"Well that's an awfully nice thing to say, Ellie, but-"  
"In fact... I'm so crazy for you Andy, I could- I could- oh no, it's silly..."  
"What's... silly?" Andy wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.  
"Oh, I could ask you to make_ love_ to me. Make sweet, sweet love to me, Andrew Taylor-!" Andy shot to his feet, and Ellie followed suit.  
"Ellie, what on earth-?!"  
"Come on, Andy, it's a new era, it's a new world out there! The South can't stay 'the South,' much longer, 'cause the world out there is changing- and making love unmarried isn't wrong- it's just spreading the love around! Don't you see, Andy-?"  
"I, in fact, _do not_ see, Ellie! That is about one of the silliest and most dishonorable things you could ask of me!"  
"There is just as much honor in our coitus as in any others'!" Andy's jaw about hit the floor.  
"As for the 'world out there'- I'm not at all inclined as to what the _world_ is or isn't doin', but as for you and I- we AIN'T doin' THAT!"  
"C'mon, Andy..." Ellie chased Andy out onto the porch.

* * *

"I am going to march up to his house and right up to his face and ask him to go with me to the picnic. That's exactly what I'm going to do," Helen was nagging herself in the reflection of a car window a block from Andy's house. _Just don't mess this up, Helen,_ she scolded herself. So, she marched herself semi-confidently down the street to Andy's house.

Ellie was getting closer and closer to Andy as they shuffled around his porch and onto his front yard.

Helen was about ten feet from Andy's house.

"Andy, you make me feel so good," sapped Ellie.

"I'm glad for you. Now, if you'd-"

"Oh, Andy, just kiss me...!" and with that, Ellie, snatched Andy into her arms into an weird and voracious kiss, smack-on-the-mouth.

And Helen had front-row seats.


	10. Chapter 10: The Low

"Andy...?!" Helen squawked from the sidewalk. Andy looked up from the mouth-lock he was in, and smucked his mouth off of Ellie's.

"H-hi, Helen."  
"I think I'd better leave," said Helen, who turned and quickly walked away.  
"No, Helen, don't go! Don't-!" Ellie had him in a straightjacket hold, "Ugh, will you get off o' me?!" Andy shook out of her grip and ran to Helen. "Helen, it's not what it looks like-!"  
"Oh, Andrew, if you try to give me a reasonable excuse as to why you were kissing a..." Helen looked Ellie up and down in her revealing clothing, "girl... well, then you're a bigger fool than I thought you were!" Helen felt weird, as she hardly ever raised her voice.  
"Helen, I have a reason that doesn't make me a fool, and it's the truth-!"  
"I won't hear any more of this, Andy. Oh," Helen began to tear up, "I never want to see you again!" and she walked off. Andy called out to her again, but knew it was a lost endeavor. He turned and marched back to Ellie, piping mad.  
"You have been nothing but a _nuisance_ since you got here, Ellie! Hear me, a _plain nuisance_!" Ellie looked indignant, "Don't you see that you _just_ don't fit in here?!" Ellie moved to speak, but Andy wouldn't allow it. "Don't you dare interrupt me again! If you so much as _show _your face 'round here... _ever_... _again_..." Andy was puffed up with so much anger that he couldn't form words, so he just stomped off toward town.  
"Oh, I've never been so insulted-! I could just... AUUGHH!" And with that, Ellie jumped into her car and sped right back to the hotel.  
Andy walked all the way through town, past the Barber shop...  
"Evenin', Andy!" Floyd greeted from the bench in front of his shop.  
"_Hi,_" Andy snooted, not even stopping or even looking at Floyd, which confused him.  
He stormed past the Butcher...  
"Howdy, Sheriff!" called the butcher from his door. Andy blew him off entirely.  
He marched past the Corner Grocery...  
"Hey, Andy!" cried the store owner.  
"Oh, hello, hello, hello, to you and every dad-blamed person in this town!"  
"Sheriff...?"

Andy marched all through town, right down to his office, where the world was predictable and normal. Andy breathed in a deep sigh, and laid his head on his desk. _Ahhh... peace and quiet, _Andy thought. Then his phone rang.  
"Ugh, can't I just have _one minute_?!" He hesitated for a while until he realized ignoring the call would be ridiculous. He answered: "Hello?"

"Andy, it's me, Bee. Why are you at the station? It's nearing eight o'clock!"

"It's alright, Aunt Bee, I'll just come down now." They hung up. Andy reluctantly rose to his feet and walked out the door, locking it up behind himself.


	11. Chapter 11: The Picnic

"Ange, you look great, just great!" admired Barney. It was the day of the picnic, and he and Andy were getting ready. "You nervous at all?"  
"Nervous? For what?"  
"For your speech, that's what! Heaven knows I would be... I'd be shakin' like a leaf. Standin' up in front of all those people, having to look all good and representin' my whole line of work." Andy grew weary of the ramblings. "Yyyyeah. I'd be just a-shakin' like a leaf."  
"Could you fix my tie, Barn?"  
"Sure thing, buddy." Barney looked at the disheveled tie. Strange, Andy was usually the one who had to help Barney with _his_ tie. "You sure y'ain't nervous?"  
"I'm extremely sure, Barney. Now can you get on with it please?"  
"Well there's no need to be s' hasty! We got nearly ten minutes 'til you need t' be on-stage-!" Barney near choked on his tongue, "_TEN MINUTES?!_"  
"Ten minutes?! I thought you were watchin' the time!"  
"I was, I was! I looked away for one second, ONE second, and it got away from me!"  
"Well, come on then, let's hop to it!" Andy and Barney sprinted through the house out to the porch. "_Aunt Bee, time to go! Git to the car, Aunt Bee! COME ON!"_ (Opie was already at the Mayberry days with his friends for the kids' activities held earlier)  
"Andy, why didn't you warn me sooner?! Oh, I haven't even gotten to get dressed properly!" She was still in some of her gardening clothes from earlier.  
"We ain't got time for that, Bee! Can't you see the man is late already?!" Barney bobbed in from outside, shouting to her. He grabbed her by the forearm, "Come on, let's go!" He swung her out the door and the three of them piled into the squad car, Barney at the driver's seat. They flew off to the Park near the end of town, which is where the events were to take place. Barney flipped on the siren, which Andy scolded him for and made him switch back off.

Andy stood behind the make-shift curtains on the make-shift stage. The sun was down, and all that lingered of the day was a strip of pink at the base of a lavender sky. It was going to get cold pretty quick. As the events drew to the keynote speech, Andy heaved another breath of fresh air. _It sure is a beautiful place to be._  
"..._and here is our keynote, Sheriff Andy Taylor!_" The Mayor announced Andy and audience greeted him with a warm round of applause, and he walked onstage. He looked out on the crowd of people, all patiently awaiting the speech that would proudly send everyone off until next year. His eyes immediately fell on Floyd the Barber, Gary the Shopkeeper, and Jim the Butcher, then, worst of all, on Ellie. He was surprised to see her. And then, as if a huge bowling ball landed in his stomach, he laid eyes on Helen. She was extremely beautiful that night. Perhaps it was just the lighting, or the sentimental mood he was in from the gorgeous sunset, but she was a beautiful sight to behold, nevertheless. Andy cleared his throat.

"Evenin', all." A few audience members answered with equally polite salutations. "Mayberry... Mayberry is..." he fumbled for the words that lay right in front of him on his type-written paper. "Uh..." the crowd become a little uncomfortable. "Folks, I was gon'ta read from my paper that I've been working on for a couple weeks, but..." Andy looked up from the pages and stepped away from the podium, "it just won't do. See, I wrote about how it's good to be as neighborly and kind to others as is possible, and I wrote out how to do that, and how to be a good example of a citizen. Well, I have a bit of a confession to make." The audience fell very quiet. "The thing is, I lost my temper just a couple nights ago, and it was about the first time I had ever done so with no regard to my fellow Mayberrians. And... I think I hurt a few of you." Andy looked over the people he spotted at the beginning of the speech, taking an especially long look at Ellie, however much she repelled him. "So, you see, I'm not perfect. I have messed up. I can't take back what I did or said, and I am truly sorry for it." When he said this, he looked at Helen who was looking at him with a forgiving face. "I can't tell you the way to be a 'perfect' role-model or citizen, but I can tell you how to be a better friend than I was that day. 'Course, _'do unto others'_ never hurts..." the audience chuckled, "but you must as well _be_ there for your friends and those dear to you. Just always be there. That, my friends, is something that can never, ever go wrong. And as I have seen some pretty life-threatening situations in my line of work, and simply as a man who is a deadly-slow mover," he looked at Helen again who chuckled at his words, "...my best advice to you is this: make sure to take up those opportunities when they come along, and don't hold back. Especially towards those who you love." There were a few 'awws,' and chuckles, and then a general applause broke through. "Much obliged. Good night, Mayberry." And as a few more audience-members hollered their approval, Andy went off-stage, but the Mayor came up to shake his hand before he could exit entirely. The audience was slowly but surely making their way to their cars and bikes.

"Excellent, excellent speech, m'boy! How 'bout next year, too?" At this the mayor cackled like most white-haired old men do, and Andy chuckled. "Thanks. See you around, Taylor."  
"See you around, sir," Andy patted his arm and walked around him to Helen, who he saw was waiting with her purse in her hands, her jacket tucked under her arm. She turned her head to meet his eyes and smiled sweetly.  
"Well, well, well. Now who do you belong to, little girl?" Andy teased her, and they laughed softly.  
"Oh, Andy. How did we get into this tangled problem?" Helen asked. Andy's face tensed a bit.  
"Helen, I was telling the gospel truth when I said I wasn't a fool. I didn't kiss Ellie, she kissed me. She had me in a grip that was so tight-"  
"Andy, I know you wouldn't do that, I just... didn't think about it. I forgot how lucky a find you are... I forgot how good a man you are," she placed her hand on his arm.  
"And you are a good woman."  
"Why, Thank-you, Andy."  
"May I drive you home?"  
"I would love for you to.

* * *

Andy had dropped Barney, Aunt Bee and Opie off at their homes, and then proceeded to drive Helen to her place. Once there, the couple got out of the car and went up to her door, which Helen unlocked.  
"Well, goodnight, Andy," she said, starting to go into the door.  
"Helen- wait a second." She stepped back out and faced Andy. _I've waited much too long for this_, Andy thought.  
"Helen..." he took her hand in his, "will you do me the greatest honor in the world... and take my hand in marriage?" Helen looked shocked, but a smile creeped over her face.  
"You're... proposing to me?"  
"Well... yeah. Is that bad?"  
"No... in fact it's the best thing you've done in a really long time. Yes, Andy, I will marry you."  
"You will?!"  
"Yes!"  
"You WILL?!"  
"_Yes!_"  
"YEE-HAWWW!" Andy shouted and did a jump-kick in the air. "Oh, Helen...!" Andy threw off his sheriff cap and scooped the woman up into a beautiful kiss.


	12. Denouement: Epilogue

"Well, it's obviously got to be a double wedding," Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife proposed to the gang. The four were walking down a sidewalk to the Drug Store to get some sandwiches and sodas.  
"Not necessarily, Barney," Thlema Lou countered, "it's their wedding, too, after all. They've got to make a few of the decisions."  
"Alright, but as an idea?" Barney asked.  
"It's a nice idea, Barn," Andy said.  
"Thank-you, Ange. See that's what friends 're for. They're there for ya."  
"...But we want our own wedding," Andy finished.  
"Yes, we do," Helen chimed in.  
"Andy, we're best buds! We go way back. We were in diapers together. We put tacks on the teacher's chair together. We got pimples together, we graduated together, and we got a job together. It makes plain sense to get hitched together, it just makes plain sense!"  
"No."  
"How 'bout a double reception?"  
"No."  
"Not even wedding pictures together?"  
"N-O," Barney moved as if to speak again, "and no double-honeymoon, either." Barney sighed. "But that doesn't mean we won't still make a lot of memories down the road together." The four friends walked on together, and laughed together for a long time after that.


End file.
